


Calendar Alert

by FallLover



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Afterglow, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gavin is a medical examiner, Hurt/Comfort, Isolation, M/M, Niles is a psychologist, Power Imbalance, RK900's name is Niles, Referenced Sex, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:13:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21554443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallLover/pseuds/FallLover
Summary: Gavin is a medical examiner with problems. Nathan is his new hot psychologist. What could go wrong?
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900 & Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 5
Kudos: 128





	Calendar Alert

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Make Me a Match](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18035981) by [Make_It_Worse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Make_It_Worse/pseuds/Make_It_Worse). 



> Inspired by Make_It_Worse's amazing fic! Please read it, it's awesome! This is just something I wrote for Gavin's (and a bit of Niles') perspective.

If Gavin was honest, he liked working at the morgue. You don’t just shrug and check a box saying “eh, astronomy’s not for me, guess I’ll work with dead people”, if you don’t like something about it. There was the science behind it, the medical challenge, the ability to learn about new diseases, about new things in human bodies that people didn’t quite understand, all tied in with a bit of forensics. That got you through all the other things any day.

If Gavin was really honest, one reason he liked it was because he had less chance to piss people off there. Dead bodies don’t exactly roll their eyes or glare when you say something dumb. Sure, it was a bit of an odd option to pick if all you wanted was to work alone, but well… the pay was better than most alternatives.

The isolation was freeing in that respect. But… stifling, too. He technically wasn’t lacking for human company, even when his living coworkers were elsewhere, but companionship was different. Saying “I work in a morgue” wasn't exactly _thrilling_ icebreaker conversation. People tended to be grossed out, assumed he fucked the cadavers or kept “trophies”, or, on rare occasion, were genuinely curious in a way that filled half an hour, and then they never called back.

So maybe he talked to the cadavers sometimes. Gave them made-up personalities and responses. Maybe he did some dumb non-sex/non-sexual stuff with them when he was bored (basically just posing around them, he knew it was dumb). He knew it was dumb. But you needed to talk to someone on a regular basis more than “Good morning, how was the weekend?” or “I’ve got the elevator button.”

He didn’t quite think it was a cry for help.

Maybe he should have, though. He ended up going to a professional relationship fixer because he was certainly getting laid a lot less than he wanted to be. Yeah, a lot of his ideas for ‘romance’ got shot down. That made sense, considering his success rate.

But when you did so much _wrong_ , it was hard to figure out how to start _right_.

If he thought about it, he felt like his physicality was all he had to offer. Being an ME wasn’t typically scintillating dinner conversation. He had the social ability of a dying plant. He wasn't funny. He wasn't witty. The only quality people ever complimented him for was his looks, on the rare occasions they did so. So if he emphasized his physicality when he was interested, it made sense. To him, anyway. Why else would anyone stick around?

“Why are you here, Gavin?” Niles asked at their first meeting.

Gavin hoped he didn’t look like he was sinking into the chair. The dude might be Connor’s brother, but his glare? Gaze? Was bracing.

“I was messing around at work and my boss noticed.”

It was like Niles only had one expression. It wasn't _quite_ what Gavin expected out of a therapist. No pitying gaze or comforting smiles. Just... ish-glare. “Yes, that’s part of it. But why were you messing around?”

“…I was bored.”

Niles raised an eyebrow. “Bored enough to recreate a badly edited version of two Shakespearean plays with—?”

“Yeah, well. Slow day.” Gavin didn’t look at him. He forgot how he'd gotten to that point in his "creativity". Sometimes he just ended up in places.

“According to your supervisor, this happens a lot. Do you dislike your work?”

“No. It’s… it’s fine."

“I see you're the very soul of passion, then.”

Gavin snorted. “Oh piss off. It’s a puzzle. A really complicated, time-sensitive, messed-up puzzle. The paperwork… sucks, but it’s necessary. And the smell, but you get used to it, I guess.”

“No noble civic duty sentiments?”

Gavin shrugged. “That’s a part of the puzzle aspect, I guess? Helping someone figure out what killed their whoever is the reward.”

Niles wrote for a bit. Gavin wondered if maybe he was doodling, or maybe he’d already psychoanalyzed Gavin with 50 different things.

“Are you a lonely person?”

Gavin rolled his eyes. So what if Niles was right? His tone clearly indicated something else. What, Gavin couldn't decipher, but well... “Of course. It’s always that. I work in a morgue, so… I _must_ be lonely.”

“Working in a morgue doesn’t sound like a very living-people-populated job.”

“I’ve got coworkers. _Living_ ones. Someone has to turn the lights on in the morning. I certainly don’t. And then someone keeps buying the coffee beans.”

“I can hear the ‘but’ in your replies.”

Gavin huffed. “I see a professional for relationship advice, what do you think?”

“I think your job isolates you, and you play out only fantasies with cadavers, and that’s one way to deal with that.”

“I don’t fuck the bodies.”

“I didn’t say or mean to imply that you did.”

Gavin snorted. “Everyone assumes that. My boss probably assumes I did, which is why I’m here. Only reason I wasn’t fired is cause there’s no proof, cause none exists. So he saw me posing next to one and reciting something while I was waiting for the computer to run a test? So what?”

“It bothers you, that people assume that you’re a necrophiliac?”

Gavin scoffed. “Uh, yeah? I may be a fuck up with no SO, but that doesn’t mean I look at a corpse and think, damn, time to get my fuck on.”

“It sounds like you deal with that reaction a lot from people.”

“I guess…?”

“Who usually has that reaction?”

“Everyone? One of the top things when people hear where I work. I mean I don’t really blame them, considering the weird shit a lot of people in this gig get up to.”

“How do you tend to respond when people assume that? Like you just did to me?”

“I…” Gavin frowned and considered. “I mean I guess… sometimes? It pisses me off… Joking about it usually makes people… not happy. Changing the topic sometimes works.”

“I imagine you’re not a conversationalist?”

Gavin snorted. “No. Just ask the last six people I went on dates with.”

“Busy on the dating scene, then?”

“Depends on what you mean by ‘busy’. Connor got me some dates but they never went anywhere. Last lay I had was… I dunno, a year? Almost two years now.” And the dude never called back. Gavin assumed he’d done something wrong, but he didn’t know what. Too rowdy? Too weird? Too anxious? Too annoying? He gave someone a blowjob eight months ago, but that was hardly a date. A one-time dive into an app dating service that really didn’t pan out. Least the guy was clean.

“Do you want to be sexually or romantically active?”

“I mean yeah. Wouldn’t be paying Connor otherwise.”

“What about friends? Anyone to reach out to?”

Gavin _didn’t_ squirm. “I mean… I got one but she’s like… buried in schoolwork right now so I don’t like bothering her. Gonna be some really kickass doctor. Otherwise, some school buddies online. I’m not that close with them. Some coworkers, I guess. But we’re not close, really.”

“What about family?”

Gavin rolled his eyes. “No, I’m not close with them.”

“Bad blood?”

“My half-brother is an arrogant prick, my mom is dead, and my father is a prick, and my stepmother hates my guts because good ol’ pops cheated on her to have me. Kay?”

Niles raised an eyebrow. “Sore subject, then.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Gavin wondered if this guy was any good at his job. He just seemed annoying.

“Any cousins? Aunts or uncles?”

"Not that I know of.”

Niles was at least good-looking, even if he was a prick, too. And his voice was nice. Smooth. Comfortable.

“Do you prefer to be alone?”

Gavin pursed his lips together. “Yeah, sure. Fucking great. No one to assume I fuck dead bodies.”

“Sarcasm is not going to help us get through this, Gavin.”

“Fine. It fucking sucks, okay? That help you?”

“It does. It’s good you realize that it ‘sucks’. Isolation is difficult. Plenty of people don’t mind it. Some like a mix. It’s not a bad thing to find comfort in solitude, but it’s not a bad thing to wish for human interaction, either. And it can be difficult for people to admit that preference.”

“Yeah, well…”

“Why do you think you have issues making friends?”

“Cause of my sparkling personality and amazing wit?” Gavin snarled. He didn’t need to be reminded he was shit at small talk.

“Your abrasiveness seems to be a defensive tactic for when you feel vulnerable. Do you feel vulnerable right now, Gavin?”

“I’m in a goddamn shrink’s office when I’d rather be at work, so I guess?” Gavin tapped his fingers on his arm.

“I don’t wish to make you feel uncomfortable, Gavin. I only wish to help. If you can tell me how to do that, with something other than ‘send you back to work’, this will go smoother.”

Gavin swallowed. “…I don’t know.”

Niles smiled kindly. “You’re not failing anything here, Gavin. This is a process. We can get through it.”

Gavin breathed heavily. “Yeah… whatever.”

Niles tilted his head. “Do you think that you’re a lost cause?”

“Huh?”

“You speak of yourself very self-deprecatingly, and clearly you think this whole thing is pointless. I wonder if you think no one can help you.”

Gavin looked down again, then scratched his arm. After a while he finally said. “Yeah, okay? Maybe I do think that.”

“I appreciate you saying that. I know it’s not easy.”

Gavin huffed but didn’t say anything.

“I don’t think you’re a lost cause, Gavin.”

Gavin laughed. “No offense, but you wouldn’t be making money if your clients thought you did.”

Niles smiled. “Yes, but some people aren’t willing to change. And I think you are. You’ve been far more candid than I expected. That says, to me, that you _want_ to change. That you’re ready to. It doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It just means you’re not happy, you know it, and you want to fix it. It’s perhaps a tired saying, but knowing the problem is one of the first steps to solving it. I can only imagine someone in your field would be familiar with that idea.”

Gavin swallowed. “Kay.”

It took a few days for Gavin to sort of fuck up. He knew he wasn’t _supposed_ to send potential hook-ups sexts without Connor’s say-so, but still (and Connor always said no anyway, spoilsport). And he was just using one of the ones of his chest. You know. Putting the idea out there? He knew it was inappropriate to come onto your shrink, but still.

The dude eyed him like a steak sometimes. Gavin could swear it. And uncomfortable as Niles’ gaze could be at times, Gavin definitely wouldn’t mind… more.

Niles’ response was relatively expected.

_This is highly inappropriate, Gavin._

_Yeah, but did u like it?_

_Ask me when you’re not a patient._

It wasn’t the worst ‘pass’ comment, and that… sounded promising. He figured maybe some more practice dating could help prepare him.

The sessions got a bit better. Ish. Niles let him know, clearly, that fraternization between a therapist and his patient was unethical and wouldn’t help Gavin improve. Gavin joked that it might help a _lot of things_ , like Gavin being lonely and Niles having a stick up his ass.

Niles looked at him thoughtfully, in a way that made Gavin think he had no clothes on. “That’s an interesting turn of phrase. Do you want a stick up your ass, Gavin?”

Gavin flushed. “Who’s offering?”

Niles smiled, and Gavin’s face warmed more.

They moved back to Gavin’s work and social life. Going to meetups, clubs, something to increase his socializing, which he wanted but was nervous about because he knew he’d weird people out or piss them off (or send them photos, which Niles raised a curious eyebrow about and that Gavin grinned over).

“Try it first and then when everyone fucks off, you can tell me I was wrong,” Niles said. “But maybe keep the ab photos to yourself and just… try not to impress people with your arrogance so much. Redirect, focus on _them_. And if they don’t like you, well, talk to me about it, and a lot of the time those people aren’t worth it, anyway.”

"Oh yeah, of course, why didn't I try that before? Just go out and talk to people. Brilliant strategy."

Niles raised an eyebrow at him. "So you were actually doing it?"

Gavin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, but didn't say anything.

"Making friends isn't easy, you know. It can be terrifying to do."

"Yes mom, okay, I get it."

Gavin missed the slight twitch on the side of Niles' mouth. "You seem to gravitate towards roleplay, particularly as shown by how you ended up here in the first place. How did you learn you liked it?"

Gavin scoffed. "Boredom. You talk to yourself you know? Or I do anyway... Passes the time."

"I thought you liked the work?"

"It can be slow. Even work you love can be boring at times."

"You do love it, though."

Gavin rolled his eyes. "Whatever. It gets slow sometimes."

"And it never bothered you that you were messing around with someone else's remains?"

"I wasn't--!" Gavin pinched his lips and looked away. "Yes it was fucking stupid, okay? I'm a callous asshole and I don't care."

Niles raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"A body is a body. Just dead or alive or... whatever."

Niles studied him for a bit.

"What?"

"Just trying to understand... There's studies on understanding behavior based on how people treat dolls, which are personifications of humans. I have to wonder how this translates to corpses."

"What, you writing a thesis on this or something?"

"Would it bother you if I did?" Niles' tone was far too calm, like he was observing the weather from a distance or something.

It pissed Gavin off even more.

"I'm not sure what the fucking point of being here is if you're just doing this as... as an experiment."

"I'm not sure what the point of your being here is if you don't give me things to work with."

Gavin glared. "I just said I'm a callous asshole! What, that's nothing?"

"Why do you think you're a callous asshole?"

"I..." Gavin swallowed. "I just am."

Niles studied him again and Gavin refused to meet his gaze.

"In our first session you said you liked the idea of helping people figure out what killed their 'whatever', as I recall. That doesn't sound particularly callous. Perhaps a bit, but not entirely."

"It's a puzzle. Not charity."

"Still. There are simpler things to do that involve puzzles without helping others in some way."

Gavin shrugged. "Whatever."

“I was thinking of doing volunteer work at an animal shelter or something…” Gavin said later, when they'd moved to hobbies and something outside of work to distract himself. “Never really looked into it, though. And I… I thought maybe I’d freak people out.”

“Most people don’t go to animal shelters for the personality of the humans,” Niles said. “And animals like most anyone.”

“No, I mean…” Gavin swallowed, then gestured to his face, with its obvious scar, his roughness. “I’ve been told I’m a bit intimidating, especially when I focus.”

“I don’t think you’re intimidating,” Niles said. “I think you’re quite handsome, really.”

Gavin blinked and looked up at him.

Niles blinked and said, “I apologize. That was off-base. But you should consider trying the animal shelter idea. I think it would be good for you. Do you like animals?”

They talked about Gavin’s cats – all three of the damn fucking spoiled shits.

“Dad never let me get a pet,” Gavin said, quietly. “So I guess… I dunno.”

“You’re making up for lost time,” Niles said. “Must be rough getting clean for the morgue, all that fur on your clothes.”

“They’re sphinx, actually,” Gavin said. “Fucking nightmare to clean, but still. Warm. Cuddly.”

“Sounds nice.”

“Do you like animals?” Gavin asked.

Nathan smiled. “Gavin, this is supposed to be about you.”

“…Oh.”

“…I like cats.”

Gavin smiled.

He went to a local shelter and signed up for a timeslot to work. Didn’t seem like such a terrible idea, really. And maybe if he socialized more he’d be better at… things.

Despite being an asshole - which meant they were well-suited - Gavin liked Niles, for all he knew next to nothing about the man. Connor was close-lipped. Despite a few slip-ups, Niles kept silent about his background. He was calming. Would wait out Gavin's anger, redirect, ask Gavin to repeat something Gavin had said until even Gavin could see the flaw in the typically self-deprecating reasoning.

"You could always try a community theater," Niles said. "Get some of the urge out."

"...Fuck no. I'm a shit actor."

"You never worry about a coworker walking in?"

"People leave me alone while I work. The _magic_ of phones and email. Didn't expect the boss to check the damn security cameras."

"Have you considered changing jobs? Maybe it's too boring for you and you need more of a challenge?"

Gavin was quiet as he looked off at the wall over Niles' shoulder for a time. He eventually replied, softly, "I couldn't leave."

Niles tilted his head. "Why?"

"Every day I've been away I just wanted to go back. Maybe it's weird, but I miss it. It's... it works for me, you know? I don't wanna do anything else. Well... until I get too old and my sense of smell gets too fucked." He laughed. "It's dumb."

"It's not dumb, Gavin," Niles said with a smile. "Much as you may be loathe to admit it, you are passionate about it, in your own way."

" _Not_ in a sex way."

Niles laughed.

Gavin blinked at him. He'd never heard the other man laugh. It was... well it wasn't the most beautiful sound in the universe. A bit raspy at times. But it made his face light up beautifully and something warm in Gavin's chest.

"Yes, as you have established, and I believe you," Niles said once he'd straightened himself up. He wrote something down on his notepad and Gavin swallowed and looked out the window.

“I know you’re only supposed to be here for a month,” Niles continued, “But I’m going to recommend you to a colleague for the long-term, if that’s all right.”

“You… I’d stop seeing you?” Gavin asked. It didn’t sting. It couldn’t sting. Niles was being professional and all that shit.

“I generally see very particular cases, and that clearly isn’t the case here. I believe the recommendation could be beneficial, though. You don’t have to see them at all. I should have suggested them earlier, really, but I wanted to be sure there wasn’t an underlying issue here that I might be better suited for. But I firmly believe there isn’t now.”

“…So you thought I was really fucking the bodies.” Gavin frowned.

Nathan shook his head. “No. But I think my colleague can better help in the long-term. You’ve made good progress here, and I recommend continuing to see someone for the long-term, even when things continue to improve. Therapy can sometimes be even more helpful when things are going well.”

“So, what, this is it?” Gavin was frustrated at how hurt he sounded. So fucking stupid. This was his fucking shrink!

“It is my recommendation that you pursue alternate therapy before ending your vacation period. In which case, yes, this would be our final appointment.”

“And if I don’t want to see them?”

“Then we’ll continue our visits until the end of your vacation period. I only want you to do what is comfortable for you.”

Gavin grimaced. “Yeah, well, I’ve had shit shrinks before. I _like_ you.”

“It’s good that we have good rapport, but this was also another consideration I’d made. I should have done more earlier, but you were making good progress. With a new therapist, the relationship would likely be healthier for you.”

“…The fuck does that mean?”

“I gather you don’t send shirtless pictures to all the health-related professionals you see for advice.”

Gavin snorted.

“Truly, though, we want what is best for you. I call them my colleague, but we don’t work together and never have. I’ve seen good reviews for them, so hopefully you won’t have to worry about any influence I have on them. And they may be able to better help with your struggles with socializing in ways I can’t. If not, I have other recommendations you can try.”

“But all the shit I’ve done to get better… that was all _you_ ,” Gavin replied, feeling his throat tighten.

“No, Gavin.” Niles’ gaze was serious. “That was all _you_. _You_ worked on yourself. _You_ went out there and volunteered. _You’ve_ talked to me about yourself, tried to get a better understanding of your needs. I’ve been here to help, but the one doing all the hard work is you, and working with another therapist will not change that.”

Gavin swallowed.

“It’s difficult to reveal this kind of information to a stranger. To come into these things and just talk about yourself. But you’ve still done it. I firmly believe you will flourish, even if it’s with the aid of someone else.” Nathan smiled.

Gavin sighed and looked down. “Fine.”

Gavin started with the new shrink, and yeah, they were a decent one, too. And Gavin didn’t send them any weird pictures or flirt. And even Gavin could tell he was flirting. He was back at work, too, which might’ve helped. Going to someone once a week to just offload was great. And yeah, he did more work. He didn’t like it all the time. But he slowly felt the isolation chipping away. It wasn’t entirely gone, and some days it felt worse than others. But even he could see things were changing.

Connor still hadn’t set him up with anyone new, which was frustrating. Gavin knew he could just go back to dating on his own, but the idea was daunting. He was bad enough _before_ he’d reached out to Connor.

So when they randomly ran into each other at a store, Gavin frozen in place.

Niles had a cart half full of items and blinked at Gavin, surprised, before saying, “Ah, hello Gavin. I was just running errands.”

“H-hey…”

Niles looked around. “If this is uncomfortable, I can just… check out and return later…”

“No, no,” Gavin said. “It’s uh… cool.”

Niles looked back at him and cocked his head. “Are you doing well?”

“I think so, yeah. New shrink’s great. Work’s a bit better, maybe.”

“Good. That’s very good.”

Niles looked back at the aisle he’d been browsing through and Gavin fell his throat tighten.

“You wanna get dinner sometime?”

Niles blinked.

“Unless that’s like… is that harassment?” Gavin flushed. “Fuck…”

“No, it’s…” Niles frowned, then sighed. Then he smiled, and Gavin felt his face warm just from _that_. “Yes, Gavin, I’d love to get dinner with you.”

Gavin’s stomach filled with butterflies.

Niles picked a nice restaurant because of course he did. Not so nice that Gavin had to change into a suit, but still, nice. Gavin looked over the menu and was happy to see he could at least eat things on there. He didn’t go out much, unless it was takeout or fast food. It was uncomfortable alone. Some people were into that, but Gavin was most certainly not one of them. Now it still felt uncomfortable - the fact that any of this was _actually happening_ felt unreal - but still. He could handle it. Maybe.

Niles did most of the talking, which was nice, because Gavin was very curious about him. Gavin, of course, had updates about what was going on his life. Niles talked about his family, about Connor a bit, about his work.

Gavin was more apologetic over his screw-ups in conversation than he’d ever been. This was technically the longest relationship he’d had in… six years? He had that four-month thing with Tina during college, and they parted ways amicably, realizing it wasn’t meant to be. Gavin was worried he’d fuck this up somehow. Niles made him nervous. He looked gorgeous - as usual - smiled at the waiters, never seemed to get food on his face, sat straight, and also seemed to be some kind of center of gravity, pulling all of Gavin's focus to him. And he was really smart, too. When Niles grew less than forthcoming about his family, they turned to some papers he'd been reading. Gavin didn't get all of it, since he'd never focused much on psychology, but he could follow the gist. And he could listen to Niles talk all day.

A guy like _that_ wasn’t into a guy like _Gavin_.

Niles reassured him when he fumbled, and didn’t seem to get too annoyed. Gavin was worried somehow the curtain was going to fall and reveal it was all an elaborate prank.

When they fucked at Gavin’s place afterward, it was great. Niles was a demanding shit, just how they both liked, and after Niles lay down beside him on the bed, both of them breathing hard, Gavin realized he hadn’t felt that good in… he couldn’t remember when.

Which… was why he made himself say what he didn’t want to say. He was going to be _better_. He had to be _better_. He was clingy, he knew that. Niles had said it was likely part of touch starvation and a lack of close friendships. A drowning man would naturally cling to any line. It wasn’t necessarily bad, at least within limits.

“You don’t… have to stay, if you don’t want to,” Gavin said, quietly, feeling his throat almost close up. Niles was warm and beautiful and Gavin looked at the ceiling as he spoke, because if he looked at Niles he wouldn't say it, and he had to. He _had_ to.

“You’re kicking me out?” Niles finally asked, also looking at the ceiling.

“No! I’d like it if you stayed but like… you don’t… need to feel obligated.” Gavin wanted to pet Niles’ shoulder or something, but maybe the other man wouldn’t go for that, so he didn’t.

“I’d like to stay.”

Gavin looked at Niles in surprise.

Niles looked back at him. His gaze was warm. Possessive. It made Gavin shiver a bit.

“…Really?”

“Really.”

Gavin laughed. “Because I can promise you, people don’t… they don’t do that around me. Stay, I mean.” He put a hand on his face and rolled away. “Sorry, shit, I can’t just… Fuck.”

Niles rolled over and spooned against him, rubbing his back. “I want to stay, Gavin. I’m not abandoning you. I had a great time tonight. I like spending time with you.”

Niles repeated soft nothings, praising him, while Gavin shook and curled into himself, not responding. The tension seemed to ease a bit as Niles talked. Gavin’s breathing evened out.

Eventually, Gavin said, "Great first date huh? I'll have to tell Connor about it..."

Niles huffed a laugh. "Don't you dare."

"Wouldn't do that to you."

"Thank you. It may surprise you to find that I don't have good luck with dates, either. We get along well, dinner was nice, we've gotten through some rough things already, and the sex was pretty good. I think... I'll call it a rather good date, in my opinion."

"You must have gone on some shit dates."

"I do try and forget most of them for a reason."

"That sucks."

"I would never try to forget this one."

"...Really?"

" _Really_."

Gavin ran a hand through his hair, swallowed, sniffed, and turned over so he could bury his face in Niles' neck. Niles wrapped his arms around Gavin and held him tight.

Things got better from there, too. Niles came over to visit Gavin’s cats. Loved all of them, even Vicky, who didn’t like being petted at the best of times.

They met for lunch sometimes during the workday, giving Gavin a reason to leave his cold dungeon of a workplace and come back feeling refreshed. He went through work faster, not wanting to stay overtime. He was still good at what he did, but he didn’t let things stay undone while he daydreamed about better things. _Niles_ was his better thing.

Well, that and the shelter work, which was coming along. They seemed to like him. Admittedly probably because he was happy to handle some of the worst animals, but still. They weren’t all sunshine and daisies. People at any workplace had their problems. But they didn’t kick him out for _his_.

He and Niles started going to movies together. It was something Gavin had missed since he stopped hanging out with Tina as much while she focused on school. Sure, it was cheaper to just wait for things to hit streaming or rentals, but there was a whole _experience_ to going to the movies, particularly if you were with someone in a romantic sense. He could hold Niles’ hand in the dark, lean on his shoulder, and walk out of the theater excited afterward to chat about what they’d seen. (People usually thought Gavin would be the kind of person to make out in the dark theater with his boyfriend, but honestly for what you had to pay these days for tickets, Gavin was going to watch the whole damn film; his couch was a lot more comfortable than theater seats to make out on).

After they left Connor’s place for the ‘how to approach Hank Anderson’ sesh, they bought pizza and then Niles fucked Gavin on the couch. They curled together on Gavin’s bed after, cats wandering around, finding warm spots.

“You were really helpful today,” Niles said over Gavin’s ear, lightly rubbing the other man’s shoulder.

Gavin swallowed and burrowed his face more into Niles’ neck.

“You were really good today,” Niles said, leaning into Gavin’s forehead.

“But Connor doesn’t like being around me. Can’t blame him. Most people don’t.” Gavin mumbled into Niles’ skin. It had taken a while to say that aloud to someone, but when he finally had, it seemed to open a dam. Gavin didn’t say it much anymore, but it lay there, between them, all the time.

“You were fine,” Niles said. “You helped Connor be less anxious, and that was good.”

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

Gavin burrowed into him more and Niles smiled. He liked this part of things. Gavin was usually nervous after sex, but he’d gotten cuddlier. He needed the reminder that Niles was there for more than just jacking off. That Niles actually liked him. Niles knew Gavin wasn’t used to that – people liking him. That the isolation of his job just honed it even more. That he felt like he deserved it, because he was so awful.

That just meant Niles could smother Gavin with as much praise as he wanted and Gavin would blush as prettily as he did and hide his face in Niles’ chest, and things would just be… good. They would be better, he knew they would. Gavin continued to be interesting, to be funny, and utterly ridiculous, and endearing. And very, very good.


End file.
